If the yellow tint is used, let it become quite dry and then wash it over with a large brush and clean water; then, as in the flower painting, soak up the water with blotting-paper; the blotting-paper must also be quite clean. While the paper is damp, not wet, begin with a blue tint—a light wash of cobalt will give it—and put in the sky in a flat tint; bring the same color down all over your sketch except in the high lights. The blue tint gives atmosphere and distance. Let your paper again become quite dry, and then wash it over as before, in clear water.
The process of laying on color and lightly washing over it afterward should be repeated several times, “and the result will be a transparent aerial tone.”
Keep your extreme distance bluish, your middle distance warmer in tone, but not too strong, and the principal objects in your foreground strong.
Leave out small objects, and with light and shade seek to obtain the effect.
Keep your colors pure or your sketch will be dull.
Contrast has much to do in producing strength and character. Phillips says that, “in aiming at opposition of color, we must select that which gives force to the foreground, and consequently communicates the appearance of air in the distance. Thus, if the general tone of the light be warm and yellow, we should have blues and purples in the foreground; if the lights be cool, reds and yellows in the foreground give atmosphere to distance, as neither of these colors in a positive state is found in the middle or remote distance.”
The three principal contrasts are blue opposed to orange, red to green, and yellow to purple; and “a good first lesson in sketching in color will be to put in your shadows with color opposite to the object in light; and by carrying out this principle of opposition throughout the scale you will obtain an endless variety of contrasts.” It is the general rule in most painting to have cool shadows to warm lights, and warm shadows to cool lights. We all know that a green picture is very disagreeable, and although a green field is green, it must not be made intensely so. An untrained eye will not see how nature tones down the vivid color with shadows, and softens it with the atmosphere; but when the eye has learned to look at nature in the right way this difficulty will be overcome. Howard says, “green must be sparingly used, even in landscapes, whose greatest charm consists of vegetation.”
Foliage in some form will present itself in almost every landscape, and it is therefore necessary to have a few general principles to guide you in this important feature. In sketching trees be sure to get the character of their trunks, limbs, branches, and general form; also the texture of the bark, rough or smooth. You will see that the foliage appears in layers, one above another. Sketch in the outlines of the principal layers, where they are tipped with light; then go over the whole tree with a local color, and afterward separate the light from shadow. Each mass is edged with light, while its base is in shadow, as a rule. Omit details, and keep to your masses of light and shade. If your tree is in the foreground, leave the white paper for crisp touches of high light. The tone of your fence will probably be gray, but do not take it for granted that it is all gray; look for other colors, and you will find brown, blue, green, and sometimes red. Put these in as you see them, letting the edges melt into each other, as they will do when the paper is damp; but have each color pure, and do not try to mix them.
Painting from Notes
is not as difficult as one might imagine. With a little practice it is easily learned. The following directions will tell how to paint a sunset on the meadows, from notes made at sunset on the meadows on Long Island.